Currently there is a large number of, what the fire industry refers to as, “props” used as live fire training aids. These props typically consist of a fire proof material, such as, steel, formed into the shape of a commonly encountered burning object, such as, a paint locker, electric motor, trashcan, stove pot, and the like. Typically, propane or natural gas flames are then sent through these props to mimic the effect of the props being on fire. Depending upon the training situation and specific prop, an extinguishant, most typically water, is sprayed on the prop using sound fire fighting techniques and, depending on whether the prop flame is operator controller or is electronically controlled with sensors, the fire that appears to be originating from the prop dies down or is extinguished.
The prior art also include fire training systems that generate images of flames on a screen or using a plurality of light sources to generate the illusion of fire, for example, on a flat surface. See, for example, applicant's co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/369,303 filed on Mar. 7, 2006 and published as U.S. Published application 2007/0218436 on Sep. 20, 2007, the disclosure of which is included by reference herein. Some of these systems can also include interactivity for training purposes such as the ability to receive some type of input from an actual or simulated type of fire extinguishing device, such as, a real or simulated fire extinguisher. Some of these systems also incorporate external influences as inactive items such as, pull stations, power disconnect panels, alarms, telephones, smoke machines, etc., that respond in conjunction with the simulated fire on the screen or influence its progress. However, these and other related prior art systems fail to provide a truly three-dimensional interaction and training experience for the trainee: the prior art typically only provides a simulated two-dimensional training experience. Aspects of the present invention address this disadvantage of the prior art.